Ahead of bypoll, Congress, BJP feel dissident heat

Parties finding it difficult to please everyone while choosing candidates

Dissidence has become a major headache for the Congress and the BJP ahead of the November 3 by-elections.

The Congress is facing the heat from its workers in Ramanagara Assembly segment and in Mandya, where the Lok Sabha seat has been given to the coalition partner JD(S). Chief Minister Kumaraswamy’s wife Anitha Kumaraswamy is contesting from Ramanagara while the JD(S) is yet to find a candidate for Mandya Lok Sabha seat.

Congress is its principal opposition in the old Mysuru region.

MLC and local strongman CM Lingappa and other Congress leaders were against the party’s decision to yield the seat to JD(S).

Lingappa’s son Chandrashekhar quit the Congress and joined the BJP in the presence of state president BS Yedyyurappa on Wednesday.

In Mandya too, local Congress leader N Cheluvarayaswamy and his supporters are strongly resisting the move to give the seat away to JD(S). In the May Assembly elections, JD(S) swept all Assembly seats in Mandya with huge margins, drubbing the Congress.
BJP, however, is facing a unique problem in Mandya. Yeddyurappa admitted that they have no suitable candidate in Mandya. “We are searching for a suitable person,’’ he said, suggesting that anyone from the Congress deciding to cross over to the BJP would be given a ticket.

In Jamakhandi Assembly segment, BJP is facing opposition from local leader Basavaraj Sindanuru, co-convener of BJP’s sugarcane farmers’ cell. The party has announced former MLA Shrikant Kulkarni as its candidate. Kulkarni had lost to late Siddu Nyamagouda by a margin of little over 3,000 votes.

In Congress too, there is dissatisfaction over giving ticket to Anand, the son of the deceased Nymagouda. Susheel Belagali, Jamakhandi Congress leader and a ticket aspirant, has expressed dissent over the ticket being given to Anand.

Ballari Lok Sabha seat, too, has become a major headache for the Congress. With none of the MLAs coming to a consensus on the candidate, the Congress is still undecided on the candidate while the BJP is certain to field former MP J Shantha.

Efforts to arrive at a consensus by holding talks with Ballari MLAs failed for the second day on Wednesday. Ballari district-in-charge minister, DK Shivakumar has decided to hold one more round of talks on Thursday before finalising the candidate. Congress MLA B Nagendra’s brother Venkatesh Prasad is one of the aspirants here.

In Shivamogga, however, the Congress is finding it difficult to field a suitable candidate. Former Minister Kimmane Ratnakar indirectly hinted that he is not interested in contesting. “I am not an aspirant for the ticket,’’ he said. The BJP is fielding former MP BY Raghavendra, son of Yeddyurappa, here.

If the Congress decides not to contest, then the JD(S) may field former MLA Madhu Bangarappa as its candidate. It is, however, not clear if Madhu is keen to contest either.